Tag: cyanotype

Two of the wonderful librarians (and graduates of the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies) at the Library as Incubator Project helped document a public library cyanotype workshop last weekend. They were over at the Madison Public Library’s Sequoya branch, where artist Aliza Rand led a cyanotype workshop. You can read the full post about their experience on the Incubator, but below, check out a few samples of the beautiful work that was produced. Click to enlarge.

Cyanotype project from Madison Public Library workshop, October 2012. Photo by Erinn Batykefer.

Cyanotype project from Madison Public Library workshop, October 2012. Photo by Erinn Batykefer.

Cyanotype project from Madison Public Library workshop, October 2012. Photo by Erinn Batykefer.

If you’d like to try your hand at cyanotype, don’t worry! You have not missed your chance! Aliza Rand will be hosting another cyanotype workshop this Sunday, October 21st, at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The event is free and open to the public, and runs from 1pm until 3pm. Click here for more info.

We’re loving the beautiful work sent to us by Cid Freitag, a Learning Technologist in DoIT Academic Technology who works in several
visual media and has an avid interest in science, among other topics. Her work
is a stunning example of a process called cyanotype – the same process that Go
Big Read author Lauren Redniss used to depict the life and work of Marie Curie
in Radioactive.

Visual artists: we’re looking for some more cyanotype art pieces
to showcase on the Go Big Read blog throughout the year. If you’d like to share your work with a wider
audience, please provide the following information. We would also welcome submissions of other
creative work inspired by or related to Radioactive.

__________________________________________

Submission details:

•
Send a photo or digital file of your piece(s) to
gobigread@library.wisc.edu.

•
All files should be .jpegs sized approximately 2MB or smaller, 813×1056 or 1632×1056.

•
Include artist name, affiliation (department for
students, faculty and staff; parallel information for community members); title
of work, and year of creation.

•
Include any information you’d like us to share
about the process used to create the work.

•
Please note that ownership/copyright of all
artwork remains with the submitting artist. By submitting your piece to the Go
Big Read email address, you grant us permission to share your work on the Go
Big Read blog.

Work will be posted on the Go Big Read blog as it is received. Follow
the cyanotype tag to follow this special art showcase.

What does the above image have to do with Radioactive? Simple: it’s another example of cyanotype, the technique used to create the unique colors, look and feel of the book. This gorgeous piece was created by Cid Freitag, a Senior Learning Technology Consultant at UW-Madison’s own DoIT Academic Technology. The aesthetic is decidedly different from that created by Lauren Redniss in Radioactive, demonstrating the diverse array of effects cyanotype can produce. Simpler cyanotype processes are even accessible to children (with
careful supervision), and we’ll be featuring a series about cyanotype this year.

Below, Cid elaborates on her process using “1980s technology – a combination of darkroom and professional graphic arts equipment.”

Process used to create “Waiting for a Train.” (Cid Freitag, 1988)

35mm black and white negatives enlarged and printed on Kodalith at intended final size.

Developed with FineLine developer, which gave a mezzotint-like texture.

Using a punch-registry system, the Kodalith positives assembled into place in carrier sheets.

Unwanted parts of each positive covered with masking paper or paintable opaque.

Final negative produced by compositing the positives using the punch-registry system and contact printing vacuum frame.